No mercy: Jannik Sinner crushes Altmaier in one-hour Vienna Open masterclass

Jannik Sinner crushed his rival Daniel Altmaier (No. 51) in a straightforward match that took him just one hour to secure the 6-0, 6-2 victory and advance to the second round of the ATP 500 Vienna Open—a tournament he won the title at in 2023.

The Italian World No. 2 was impressive from the start—in what was his first tournament after winning the Six Kings Slam trophy and the $6 million prize last weekend by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion quickly flew back to Europe with the indoor-hardcourt swing as his objective and began with an imposing victory that guarantees him a second-round match against his compatriot Flavio Cobolli.

Sinner had recently faced Altmaier weeks ago in the Shanghai Masters second round, winning 6-3, 6-3. This time was even easier for Sinner, who took just one hour and conceded only three points on his serve throughout the entire match.

Everything started simply from the beginning for the 23-year-old Italian, who, as usual, showed no weaknesses on his serve. Sinner was dominant on return, securing the first two breaks consecutively, and with strong service games, he advanced without setbacks to a 4-0 lead.

Altmaier failed to find rhythm in the match, having won only one point on his serve in his first two service games. With a clear disadvantage, the German attempted to hold serve but could do little, conceding another pair of opportunities to Sinner, who did not waste them and secured the third consecutive break. The Italian closed the set with a perfect service game and delivered a bagel (6-0), in which he won 80% of his service points and 80% of return points.

If things had been entirely in Sinner’s favor in the first set, they were not much different in the second. Although Altmaier started by defending his first service game, he couldn't keep pace with his rival for long. Sinner was even more imposing on his serve in the second set, conceding only one point on serve—while securing two consecutive breaks that put him up 5-1 in the set.

Altmaier fought in his final service game and managed to partly decorate the scoreboard, narrowing the difference. However, it was of little use against a determined Sinner, who went for the victory with his serve and ended up closing out the win with an ace by 6-0, 6-2 in just 59 minutes.

The Italian reached his 44th victory in 50 official matches this season and starts his search for his 4th title of the season—after being crowned champion at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Beijing—on the right foot. In the second round, he will face his compatriot Flavio Cobolli, World No. 22 in the ATP Ranking, who overcame the Czech Tomáš Macháč without too many problems in his debut.

Jannik Sinner is still 1,340 points behind his rival Carlos Alcaraz in the battle for the World No. 1 ranking, and achieving it this season will be complicated. In the ATP Race—which only measures points gained in 2025—the distance is still 2,500 points. This week in Vienna, the Italian is playing for the possibility of seeking his 22nd official title and 4th of the season, as well as 500 points that allow him to close the gap on Alcaraz.

In the coming weeks, his last challenges will be the Paris Masters—with 1,000 points at stake—and the ATP Finals. Recently, the Italian announced that he would not be participating in the Davis Cup Finals, concluding his season in Turin with the ATP Finals, where he is the defending champion.